Victor Cruz On Giants' Historic Offensive Performance: It 'Was Definitely An Amazing Day'
NEW YORK (WFAN) - It was a historic performance for the Giants on Sunday afternoon, and wide receiver Victor Cruz was right in the middle of the action.
Before Giants coach Tom Coughlin and Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano got into it at midfield over what is now being referred to as "kneegate," the Giants amassed 604 yards en route to a thrilling 41-34 victory.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning passed for 510 yards -- Cruz being the recipient of 179 of them on 11 catches -- and three touchdowns. In the midst of their explosive second-half comeback, Cruz caught an 80-yard pass in the fourth quarter to put the Giants down by two. Andre Brown subsequently ran the ball into the end zone for a two-point conversion, tying the game at 27.
LISTEN: Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz speaks with Mike Francesa
"Eli was definitely trying to find the big play, and we were trying to make the big play, and I was just glad that I was able to break free." Cruz told WFAN's Mike Francesa in his weekly spot. "Eli found me and I was able to take it in for a touchdown. It was just a great play at the right time. Eli threw a great ball, and it was definitely something that we needed at the time."
As soon as the ball was up in the air, the 2011 second-team All-Pro selection said he knew he had it all the way.
"As soon as it went up I was in stride perfectly," Cruz said. "I caught it and I knew it was going to be a foot race, but I was pretty determined once I caught that football that I was going to score."
Cruz and Hakeem Nicks split nearly 400 of Manning's passing yards, and New York is gaining a reputation as the most explosive passing team in the NFL.
"Myself and Hakeem -- and all the receivers -- we just want to continue to do positive things, continue to catch the football and continue to make these plays," the Paterson native said. "We just want to maintain a high level of play and see where it takes us. (Sunday) was definitely an amazing day. We just want to be consistent. It's one game, it's one win, and we just want to keep stringing along this positive play and see where it takes us."
The last time the Giants had 600 yards of total offense was in 1962.
Playing in a short week, Big Blue will square off with the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday night.
With Eli throwing to Cruz and Nicks, do the Giants have the most explosive passing attack in the NFL? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below...
